From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Meeting on Haredi conscription legislation pushed off as PM scrambles to bridge gaps
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A cabinet meeting meant to discuss draft legislation regulating conscription requirements for the ultra-Orthodox community has been delayed indefinitely, amid coalition turbulence over the proposal, a spokesperson for Benny Gantz confirms to The Times of Israel.
According to reports, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding marathon meetings with ministers and other lawmakers in an effort to find a way to bridge disagreements over the regulations that satisfy the Attorney General’s Office and his warring coalition partners.
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has rejected any proposal that does not include quotas for numbers of ultra-Orthodox youths to be drafted in the coming years, according to reports.
Netanyahu’s Haredi coalition partners reject any law requiring members of the community to be included in draft requirements mandatory for most other Israelis. Other members of the coalition, including many in Netanyahu’s own Likud party, reject legislation that will allow the ultra-Orthodox to continue avoiding sharing in the burden of military service.
According to Channel 12 news, Likud lawmakers have complained that proposed legislation put forward by Netanyahu in recent days does little to change the status quo, or make up manpower shortages in the military set to force those who do serve to be conscripted for longer periods.
Reports also detail a letter sent by the Finance Ministry to Baharav-Miara stating that proposed financial penalties on yeshivas that take in draft dodgers, in lieu of criminal penalties or financial sanctions on draft dodgers themselves, will not be sufficient to raise Haredi conscription rates.
The Times of Israel Community.